The Salem Police Department has apprehended a man who has been wanted for nearly a year in connection to an armed robbery at Lowe's in which his accomplice used an allegedly tainted syringe to allow them to escape.
Victor Garcia, 38, of Lowell, Mass., was charged Monday with armed robbery, criminal liability for conduct of another, willful concealment and breach of bail conditions after he waived extradition in Massachusetts and was brought to New Hampshire by Salem police.
Deputy Police Chief Shawn Patten said Garcia, who was incarcerated on drug trafficking charges in Middleton before he was brought to New Hampshire on Monday, was involved in the Feb. 5, 2013, robbery of the Salem Lowe's.
An employee caught Garcia and Victor M. Deleon, 39, of 227 Bailey St., Apt. 2, in Lawrence, Mass., in the act of stealing saw blades on Feb. 5. When the store's loss prevention team tried to stop Deleon and Garcia from removing the items from the store, Deleon approached them in an "aggressive and menacing manner" and pulled a hypodermic syringe from his pocket.
Deleon claimed the syringe was allegedly infected with "AIDS" and threatened to stab one of the employees before fleeing the store. Deleon was caught the next day in Lawrence, and he has since shown signs that he is turning his life around, which led a judge to grant him a lighter sentence in November.
Garcia was held without bail Monday pending an arraignment in Salem District Court, according to Patten.
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